The Piano Man
by PhantomNinja90
Summary: When two starving artists clash at the local cafe, there's no chance that they'll ever remain the same. But Kurogane's music is sweet: it brings the inspiration that Fai greatly needs to meet his deadline. An unexpected bond is about to form. AU Kuro/Fai


A/N: Hello everyone! And welcome to the first chapter of The Piano Man! I'm very excited to bring you my first ever KuroFai Fanfiction (although I have already written a great deal of other stories). But I finally managed to come up with something that I'm going to stick with, so without further ado, I give you le fic.

A brief side note: this story contains shonen-ai/ BL/ yaoi/whatever you heart desires to call it. This means that there will be a man and another man, performing a variety of social interactions that range from simply conversing with one another to making wild, passionate love in the produce aisle of the local supermarket.

You have been warned.

Pairings: KuroFai, with a small side of SyaoSaku. You know, like a nice, juicy steak with a side of green beans. While the green beans are tasty, the steak is what really catches your attention. Not to mention sometimes you forget the green beans entirely!

Full Summary: Fai is a starving novelist, barely making a living until he encounters a strange musician (Kurogane). As he becomes more intrigued with the pianist, he finds himself being able to write again, inspired by the beautiful songs played by Kurogane. As the two draw nearer, neither expected becoming tangled in the chains of a love/hate relationship that would not only replenish their passion for art, but fill the empty spaces in their incomplete lives.

Chapter 1: Meeting Place

Coffee is not a drink.

Coffee is a lifestyle.

So was the motto that he went by, and if that wasn't enough to prove it, here he was slumped over in the middle of the café, the steam of his coffee caressing his face. The blond stared at his reflection in the dark liquid: tired blue eyes watched him from the cup, and he gave a brief sigh, stirring the surface of his drink.

_I'm never going to make that deadline, _he thought sourly. He could have been a lawyer. He _should_ have been a lawyer, but instead, he had become _this_.

"Fai D. Flourite—starving novelist," he muttered into the drink, almost as if it would console him. But Fai knew, as most other people knew, that coffee doesn't talk. Unless you're insane, that is, or if you have had one too many cups of it. He let out another sigh, then carefully brought the cup to his lips, taking a long sip.

It would calm him for a while.

The Wanderer's Café was somewhat empty today, Fai noticed. Glancing up from his beverage, he spotted a few kids lounging in the over-stuffed couches in the corner, chatting animatedly about something. Weren't they too young to be drinking this stuff? There were a few people, mostly from the local college, scattered about the area. _Drama students, no doubt_, he thought and drank again.

As he continued to circle the room, he realized there was only one worker behind the counter today. He shifted his gaze to the brunette, who was wiping the counter down with a cheery vigor. She stopped suddenly, and looked up from her work, smiling when she saw him.

"Hello Flourite-san. Back again today?"

"Yes," he returned with a forced smile.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked. She dropped her rag on the counter, and walked over to him. The blond shook his head.

"No, I think this will cover me for today. Thank you, Sakura-chan," said Fai with false cheerfulness, and held up his coffee for emphasis.

"If you're sure," she nodded. Sakura turned, heading back to her work, and then came to an abrupt halt. "That's strange. I thought we weren't having any performances today..."

Fai craned his head up and squinted. There was someone seated at the grand piano in the far corner: a very tall someone, for the person's strewn black hair could be seen above the lid of the instrument. Fai's fingers fell loose around the grip of his cup, a sudden curiosity coursing through him.

And then it happened.

It was almost inexplicable, that music emitting from the piano. The melody was sweet, but powerful all the same, carrying through the entire space of the eatery. Fai shuddered as the notes overwhelmed his senses.

"How beautiful," said Sakura, but it was a distant sound as the blond became captivated by the song. He sat for a while without drinking: lax, calm, and immobile as he listened. His mind wandered, the faint airy sound still present when the contents of his inner psyche stirred.

_Perhaps the father...and then maybe I can have him be...yes! That's it!_

The trance was broken as Fai scrambled in his seat, quickly fishing a pen from his pocket and rummaging around through his courier bag until he came upon the notebook. The blond slapped the gruff, blue-bound pad on the surface before him, and thumbed quickly to an empty page, immediately scrawling down a bunch of words. He let out a heavy breath once he finished, and the pen fell from his shaky hand. Fai reread his work, and made a small noise of approval.

_That should do. _He thought, and ran a finger over the edge of the paper, _perfectly legible...to the trained eye, that is. _Fai snapped the book shut, and placed it back into the bag. It had been weeks since he was able to come up with any sort of material for the book, and as he rose from under the table, the song ended.

_Perhaps my source of inspiration deserves some sort of thanks, _Fai contemplated. He stood, traveling away from his nook, past the front desk and nearer to the edge of the elevated floor.

The man at the piano was pre-occupied, thumbing through several piles of sheet music. As Fai drew closer, he was shocked at the size of the raven-haired man. He was indeed very tall, but also quite broad in the shoulders. Not to mention the size of his hands..._how could he hit even a single key without catching another? _Fai wondered, and continued to stare. He was dressed somewhat formally, garbed in a collared shirt and a pair of black slacks—nothing particularly fancy. And as he reached to adjust his thick-rimmed glasses, his gaze flickered for an instant; then locked on to Fai.

If a stranger catches you staring at them, almost anyone would agree that you would feel rather uncomfortable when they give you that odd look that says "do you have a problem, freak?"

Fortunately for Fai, awkwardness was nowhere to be found in his array of feelings.

"_What_?"

The blunt grumble that sounded the man caught the blond slightly off-guard. Fai blinked several times, caught under the cold glare of the pianist's crimson eyes. Then the strange part came. It wasn't normally in his nature to act in such a particular fashion, perhaps once in a while he found himself behaving as such, but he had never found a person that struck him so hard as a very grumpy, irritable, easily-annoyed natured person as the man before him. So he found himself, now, in a situation where in all likelihood he would get one of the most full-forced, blown out reactions of a lifetime.

And that's when Fai's lips turned upwards to form the biggest smile he could possible make.

"I just came over to say how great your music was!" he piped, grinning wildly.

"T-thanks," the man stammered, clearly frightened by the sudden explosion of cheer from Fai.

"You play that piano pretty well," he continued, letting out several laughs. Why this was becoming so enjoyable, he could not tell, but he had not had this much amusement in ages. "I'm Fai. What's your name?"

The man recoiled as the blond leaned in. He bit his lip, hesitating as his mouth tried to form words. "Kurogane..."

"Eh? Kuro-sama the pianist?" Fai mewed. This was becoming almost _too_ enjoyable. He watched the man named Kurogane shift unnervingly in his seat.

"It's Kurogane," he stated, this time, with a slight force behind his voice. He was clearly trying to remain calm, but wasn't doing a very good job of it. _How long, _Fai speculated, _until he completely cracked?_

"So Kuro-wan, you from around here?" The words poured out of Fai's mouth. He could barely contain himself, eagerly awaiting the response of the pianist. But it occurred to Fai that the man had not got up and left through the entirety of his little performance, which was somewhat troubling.

"Ku-ro-ga-ne," he retorted. Fai's attention returned to him. His eyes narrowed behind his glasses, a vein pulsing in his temple. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"

"I. Don't. Know. Ku-ro-pi-pi," Fai accented, and let out a series of giggles. The man scowled, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

"Get away from my piano," he threatened.

"But it's not your piano!" Fai cried gleefully. The blond was almost certain that at any moment the man would leap from his place and beat him into an unrecognizable mass of flesh, but some how Kurogane remained tied to his place at the instrument.

"I'm...playing it. All this afternoon," he struggled. By now, Fai had jumped up onto the stage, and began to hover over Kurogane.

"Hyuu! All of this afternoon...Kuro-chu is indeed amazing!" the blond exclaimed. Kurogane could no longer retain himself and swatted angrily at the gangly man. Fai dodged, and began to press an assortment of keys at the other end of the piano.

"These all sound funny, but Kuro-popo makes them sound amazing!"

"**Were you dropped on your head or something, asshole?" **

"Ooh? Kuro-pon is quite the angry puppy!" And in some small way, the man seemed very similar to a dog...at least to Fai. Kurogane struck again, only to miss yet again as Fai began to dance around the piano.

"Kuro-rin! Kuro-rin! Angry doggy Kuro-rin!" Laughed the blond. Kurogane rose from his seat, and dashed in a heated rage at Fai. Taking notice, Fai increased his speed, and sprinted madly around the piano as the taller man chased after.

"**I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"**

By now, the entire café was watching the stern pianist chase Fai, hearing both angry shouts of death threats and bubbly chirps of assorted nicknames for the pianist, dancing about wildly in the air.

"GET OUT!"

The two stopped dead in their tracks, frozen by the amplitude of the voice. A slim woman exited from counter, her long, dark hair trailing behind her. She passed Sakura, who bowed, muttering apologies to the woman as she crossed the room over to the stage.

"I agreed to let you play the piano, not tag," the woman frowned, staring down Kurogane. He let out several small grumbles, matching her expression.

"I need the money."

"I don't care," she spat, and flicked a stray hair behind her. "You are ruining the atmosphere of my business."

"Atmosphere," Kurogane snorted in reply. "Listen lady, if you want to blame someone, blame him." He pointed a finger callously at Fai.

"I was just simply saying how wonderful Kuro-ryun's music is. That's all," Fai smiled. The woman's expression wavered, then grew cross once she returned her line of vision to Kurogane.

"Then why is there a problem?"

"ARE YOU INSANE?" THIS GUY-"

"-Sorry to interrupt, but—ah, you are?"

"Yūko Ichihara," said the woman.

"Ichihara-san, you must forgive me, it is partially my fault." Fai apologized, and bowed his head slightly. Yūko gave a small laugh.

"No, no. It has nothing to do with you. This man really should learn how to hold his temper," she said, and glared at Kurogane out of the corner of her eye. "We'll just punish him by not giving him any pay! No matter! Now, kindly remove yourself from my café, or you'll never play here again."

Kurogane went ridged. He quickly collected his music, tucking it under his arm, and shot a deadly look at Fai before storming out of the building, angrily muttering about how he wasn't going to make ends meet for his mortgage.

Guild flooded through Fai as the bell on the door rattled violently when Kurogane exited. He hadn't intended on getting the man kicked out, and, more importantly, robbing him of a salary. The café owner uttered several strange laughs, watching the man as his papers were freed from his grasp, scattering everywhere, and loud, colorful curses erupted from outside.

"Well, I think he's taken quite a liking to you..." she chuckled. Fai frowned. He returned to his seat at the far end of the room, gathered his belongings, and rushed outside, where Kurogane was still picking up loose pieces of paper.

The blond bent over, gathering the pieces of fallen sheet music into his arms. After about twenty or so, he tapped Kurogane on the shoulder, nearly falling over when the man turned swiftly and aggressively to him.

"H-here." Fai stuttered, offering up the pages. Kurogane's gaze cut through him, sending a chill down his spine. He snatched the papers from Fai's grip, and returned to collecting the remains of his music.

"I didn't mean for..." Fai began. His voice caught in his throat, watching helplessly as Kurogane continued to find papers.

"-To get my ass thrown out of that shitty place and loose my week's pay?!" He filled in with malice, not bothering to look at the blond. Fai let out a quiet sigh, wringing his hands.

"I'm sorry," Fai squeaked. Kurogane stopped, and turned to the thin man.

"'Sorry' doesn't pay my bills," he snapped. "'Sorry' doesn't buy me groceries. I can't make a living off of 'sorry'. I can't afford heat in this season with 'sorry'. And most of all, I don't give a damn if you say 'sorry'!"

Fai winced, shrinking away from the stranger as he stood up. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, Kuro-tan, I haven't been paid in ages-"

"Screw you," he replied bitterly, and began to walk down the street.

He had really messed up this time. Fai rose to his feet, watching the man grow distant from him. His feet started to move, inclined to pursue the man, and so Fai followed behind him silently.

"How much were they paying you?" He asked. Kurogane came to a halt, but did not look behind him.

"Two-hundred," he responded after a long pause. Fai licked his lips, and pulled out his wallet. It was supposed to last him for the next three weeks, but he'd have to make do with the remaining fifty...somehow.

"Here."

Fai approached the man cautiously. He turned, and the blond pressed the money into his large hands. "For all the trouble I've caused, Kuro-min."

The man gave him a small scowl, but pocketed the cash, giving the blond a slight nod. Fai knew he wasn't going to receive any thanks. For the fact was that it had been his fault in the first place that the stranger had lost his temporary employment at the café.

"I really did like you music," said Fai. Kurogane grunted, and turned, continuing his departure. Fai remained frozen to the spot, staring at the back of Kurogane's head.

"Let's do lunch sometime!" Streamed out of his mouth, and his arm moved automatically into the sky, waving frantically. Of course he didn't respond, but as Fai's disposition returned to a regular impassive state, as his arm dropped to his side, and as he continued to stare at the stranger, only one word was pressed upon his mind.

_Why?_

A/N: Yay! It's done! It's done! More will be coming soon! (Provided I'm not bound and gagged with homework...) So please leave a lovely review in the review box of sexiness, yes?


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